^^^ LNov. 4, 



Dr. ISTewberry coram Tinicated, by letter, of October 27tli, a 

 paper " On tlie Origin and Drainage of tbe Great Lakes," the 

 reading of wliicli was postponed to the next meeting.* 



Dr. E. E. Heath, present by invitation, was then presented 

 by Prof. Cope to the President, and requested to describe the 

 manner and results of his recent exploration of the river Bene, 

 and the hitherto unexplored regions of Bolivia, lying to the 

 south-west of the railroad now being built alongside of the 

 rapids of the Madeira river. 



Dr. Heath exhibited a wall map of the north-east course of the Bene 

 river through the great periodically inundated plains, which stretch be- 

 tween the east foot hills of the Andes, and the mountains of Brazil, down 

 to its junction with the Mamora (coming from the south) to form the 

 Madeira. 



He exhibited also a collated map of the water system of the Upper 

 Madeira ^A^aters, and described the corrections necessary to be made on the 

 published maps of Bolivia. 



He described the vast forests of rubber and Brazil nut trees — trees of 

 300' height when mature — the pampas, scattered over with shrubs like our 

 scrub-oaks — the channel of the Bene, straight as a whole, but tortuous in 

 detail, with alluvial banks, about 30 feet high, over or through which, 

 every year, the inundation spreads over the whole country, leaving here 

 and there dry spots on which the Brazil nut grows — the solitary obstacle 

 to navigation, in the shape of low gneissoid rocks, not far above its junc- 

 tion with the Madeira — and the commerce in gold, silver, copper, tin, fine 

 coflFee, cocoa, vanilla, caoutchouc, Brazil nuts, cattle, &c., which will some 

 day flourish, by the natural route of the Bene, Madeira and Amazons, 

 opening up Bolivia to the civilized world. 



For 800 miles the Bene is navigable, without interruption, by steamboats 

 drawing 5 feet of water. 



Dr. Heath described the various tribes of the country ; one, as white as 

 Europeans, and another addicted to cannibalism, and greatly dreaded 

 along the river, on account of their occasional raids for the purpose of 

 securing victims. Neighboring tribes present the most diverse facies. In 

 one district a tribe of small men adjoin a tribe of very tall full-bodied 

 men, and next to these live a tribe of tall, meagre and cadaverous men. 

 All three of these tribes speak different languages. Dr. Heath intends to 

 make a comparative study of his copious linguistic notes. 



He exhibited several sheets on which were his drawings of some of the 

 very numerous symbols, or picture writing, which have been cut, to a 

 depth of about an inch, probably by the architectural race of Cuzco and 

 late Titicaca, on all the rocks in and alongside of the river channels, in the 

 district around the great forks of the Madeira. He believed these inscrip- 



* This paper will be printed in Vol. xx, No. HI. 



